WASHINGTON -- A legal opinion finds that President Bush did not break the law when he made a recess appointment of St. Louis businessman Sam Fox as U.S. ambassador to Belgium.

The Government Accountability Office says Fox can continue to serve in the post but cannot draw a government salary.

Bush withdrew Fox's nomination in March, just minutes before it came to a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bush gave Fox a recess appointment a week later.

Democrats opposed Fox because he contributed to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 presidential campaign. The group's ads were seen as a factor in the defeat of Democrat John Kerry.